Northern Lights By Boat With A Backup Plan From Reykjavik

This was a ten out of ten! We had a great crew. Joe has a great sense of humor and kept us all lay while we were learning!

Such a wonderful experience getting to see the Northern Lights. Joe was absolutely incredible as our “guide” and the team is very knowledgeable on where to find the best spots to see the lights. Tour was 2 hours long.

It was one amazing tour. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly.

Well, we certainly understand not sailing in bad weather; which is why we purposely booked the Northern Lights Tour WITH ALTERNATE ACTIVITY. So, if the yacht tour was cancelled or postponed, we still had something to do that evening. Well, they also cancelled the indoor alternative activity (Whale museum) WHY? We don’t know. So it left us scrambling to find something else to do. Viator did say they would issue a full refund (haven’t seen it yet, but in fairness the yacht tour was supposed to be last night). We knew the odds of actually seeing the Northern Lights was slim (perfectly understandable- you can’t predict nature) but we figured at least we would have a boat ride, or at worst, an alternate activity. Very disappointed. Don’t offer an alternative accommodation if you can’t provide it. The assumption was that we definitely would have something to do yesterday. That was not the case.

The ship and the crew were marvelous. Despite all that they could do, Nature was not helping out any. Would recommend this trip to anyone AND before embarking on any other tour visit the Special Tours office as they have discounts for other must see items

This trip was priced at an extortionate £100. It was a thoroughly dismal and disappointing experience. We sailed out towards a nearby island on very basic, public ferry “no frills”type of boat. Fortunately, we saw the Northern lights. however, If nature hadn’t put on a free show, I fail to understand what on earth this trip had to offer. During the sail a guide gave a commentary on some history and folklore but you had to stay outside on the top deck for the entire trip to hear any of it. There was a crackly speaker available down stairs on the enclosed cafe deck but it was so noisy and busy it was impossible to hear a single word coming from the speaker. The Northern lights were spectacular but I couldn’t wait for the miserable boat ride to be over. I contacted the company afterwards to ask for a 50% refund as a gesture of good will which was refused. There was zero customer service, care, concern or consideration. I would advise anyone to give SPECIAL TOURS a very wide berth

Great cruise to see the lights..and we did! Used the warm oversuit (definitely put one on!) and Patrick was fun and informative. Well worth going on!

Absolutely fantastic! The Northern lights sighting was excellent and beyond expectation. The boat trip lasted 2 hours. The staff was very knowledgeable, witty, professional and courteous.

The boat trip was a different way of seeing the lights, both the Northern Lights as well as the lights of Reykjavik. It's nice to be able to go in the warm at times to defrost!

Excellent view of the Northern Lights with helpful tips and good commentary throughout. Comfortable boat for this two hour trip.

It was a nice experience. Unfortunately the sky was cloudy, but even so, we could see a bit of the lights. And the night skyline of Reykjavík is beautiful, too.

Got to see the lights. Boat ride bumpy, not good viewing spot. 4 stars because boat was crowded with almost no place to sit inside and tight room on deck.

The best experience ever!!! I would definitely recommend it was magical thank you. Nothing more to say ,,,❤️

Wonderful New Year`s Eve boat trip. Insane fireworks. And as icing on the cake we got the best Northen Lights that you could dream of.

We tried to see the lights every evening for a week until we took this cruise on our last night. And it happened!!! Lucas was a wonderful informative and caring guide, he spoke in different languages and we felt it was a great asset to our trip. Thank you Lucas, takk ferry

Chances of seeing the a good display of the northern lights on any one night are always going to be poor. I love boats, I love the sea, I love seeing cities at night from the water, so I booked the boat tour on the grounds I'd have a lot of fun whether I saw the lights or not, unlike a coach trip. Technically the lights were there, although nobody could actually see them. Some people were able to pick them up on their cameras. But it was a lovely evening to be out, looking at the stars and Reykjavik all aglow. The overalls provided by Special Tours were warm enough to stand the cold wind out on deck, and the pick up service from my hotel was on time and flawless.

We arrived at 21:00 in Reykjavik for the tour and were promptly informed the tour had been cancelled due to the weather. This would've been fine with us had we been informed in advance, however we had received no email, text or notification via TripAdvisor which was very annoying, as we'd driven out and into Reykjavik (which was quite the detour from our original trip) for this specific tour.

The weather can really impact your chances of seeing the Northern Lights. It was cold and windy the night we went out but we were warm down below when nothing was happening. The light show isn't always continuous, so the guide up on the top deck gave a running commentary on when the viewing was the best. If you want the maximum experience you may need to go further away from downtown Reykjavik but if you want a comforable taste of the experience this is a good tour.

No transfer from our hotel. First night the tour was cancelled. Second night went and saw the lights. Had a great time. Staff friendly.

We got to the boat quite early, which meant we got a good seat out on the top deck. But this also meant we were out in the cold for a while! The tour took us out in the water by Reykjavik and took about 2 hours, but unfortunately it was just so cloudy we couldn't see anything, so we ended up going back without having seen the lights. This is of no fault of the company, as they can't control the weather, but they did offer us a free rebooking for the next night. Unfortunately, that was called off early in the day due to more bad weather, and we had no more nights left in Iceland. Our ticket, however, is valid indefinitely, so next time we visit Iceland, we will hopefully be able to do the tour then and see the lights! I do want to give a special mention to our tour guide (I didn't catch his name, but this was for the tour on 13th January). He was very informative, and very funny. He did a great job of keeping everyone entertained, despite the bad weather and lack of lights.

Really brilliant experience. The lights started as we were boarding the boat so the team advised us to go up top immediately. Team were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. An absolutely incredible show.

Amazing experience! Our tour guide provided great guidance in locating the lights and tips to view and capture them through photography. Tour started and ended promptly, and check-in process was a breeze. We were fortunate enough to have great conditions - clear skies and calm waters. The lights got brighter and more active near the end of the tour, and it was mesmerizing to see them in person.

This was excellent. The guide was great, informative and fun. He was helpful in telling us the settings to use on our phones/cameras to get the best pix. The boat was comfortable with plenty of room to warm up indoors when I got cold. Fortunately, the NL were visible the night I went. So, I was a happy camper.

Our travel agent booked a Northern Lights cruise for us with Special Tours. On our first attempt the weather wasn’t cooperating so they gave us the option of a refund or to rebook for the next night. We chose to rebook since the main reason we came to Iceland was to see the Northern Lights. The next night was the same so we rebooked for our last night. It started clouding up about an hour before our cruise was set to sail. Initially it was overcast and left little to see. The captain kept maneuvering the ship to find clear skies. While we waited for the light show the crew kept us entertained with facts about Iceland and star gazing. Finally it started and the sky’s provided us with the most spectacular show. This was definitely a highlight to our trip, well worth the wait and props to Special Tours for their persistence.

Our first night the tour was cancelled due to weather. The company offered a free backup plan for a small group tour to the whale museum with private tour guide. Learned a lot about whales and the northern lights. Really neat! Patrick was very funny and very passionate/knowledgeable about whales and the whole industry. Free northern lights drink at the end which was a nice touch. The beautiful thing is if your tour is cancelled you can book another boat tour that works with your trips schedule. We went the next night and saw beautiful northern lights that were all different colours. Really made our trip to Iceland complete. They even offer heavy duty overalls to help mitigate the cold winds if needed. Guide on the boat was fantastic and very knowledgeable as well. Thank you Special Tours! Would definitely recommend booking with them!

We are so grateful for having to get on the boat , Lilja and Andrea every night for a chance to see the Northern Lights . Appreciated much . We saw a glimpse on our 6th night . Anika was so gracious and very informative. Patrick was so hilarious and informative as well. Thank you much for such beautiful nights on board .

Went twice (retry). On the 2nd retry the clouds were ok, but the other values were the lowest over the entire 10 days I stayed there. Expected a probably of roughly 5% (Polarlicht App) around 23:00, which was in the end the case. That is why I’ve asked them a day before, if I could change my free retry into a whale watching tour, which has the same price, but this was denied. I still went since I didn't feel like getting drunk on a night out and only had 2 days left before leaving (fortunately I've seen the aurora before). The positive first. The boat is in good condition and they seem to have the safety of their guest in mind. Plus points. The facilities offer heating, toilets, bar,… what you would expect from mass-tourist boat. They have different tour guides. Both of them were friendly. They will give you some trivia about the northern lights and on star gazing through a mic. Most of it you will already know, if you are familiar with the topic or know how to use Wikipedia. On the second tour I had a guy from the US who was actually funny. Enjoyed his talk. They don’t drive out far. This is understandable. It would be rather risky to pack 100 to 200 tourists in a boat and get into trouble on high sea. But it consequently means that the light pollution from Reykjavik is still noticeable. Not that bad, that it would stop you from spotting the Aurora, but it is certainly is not helping your odds. From a pure light pollution and positioning consideration you might as well just travel to the “Northern Light View Point” and walk a little bit towards Grótta in the northwest of the city. That is just one example I've picked from the coastline i.e. close to where this tour is operating. Theere are other good/better spots depending on weather conditions. Another drawback is that they only go out for roughly 2.5 hours in the early hours. You will back at port after 23pm'ish but definitely before midnight. The issue is that around Reykjavik in February the probability to spot something has most likely spike events around 11:30 to 01:30. You can see that on the Polarlicht App how the green (10 to 20%) probability zone moves in from the north east of Iceland to the south west of Iceland around midnight. I’ve inquired on this and got statements like that e.g. KP value doesn’t matter that much (yes it does and is one of many different values you have to take into considerations) or that it doesn’t matter staying longer (again yes it does). The way they communicate this really rubs me the wrong way and gave me the feeling that this is a corporation that counts on tourists having no clue about this and basically put everything on the “sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes not”. Yeah sure. That is somewhat true, but it is also true that you can increase your odds of sighting by taking according adjustments. I didn’t had the feeling this company is properly transparent about how they increase your odds (or not) for the money you pay them. The free retries are theoretically indefinitely, if the company exists in the far future, if you will travel again to Reykjavik, if you don’t have already plans on the other nights,… or if you are not so frustrated that you just won’t. There are a lot of ifs and I have a suspicion the company knows that. They might offer you on a failed attempt some free shots at the bar or a whale museum discount. Ok. But in my case, I don’t really drink and I’ve been to whale museums and won’t go to another whale museum if there are actually real whales swimming in the very same bay. I would have given 4 stars if they would have allowed to switch to the whale watching tour. Just so you have a viable alternative shortly before you go home when you (and everyone else using the publicly available data) clearly know the probability of sighting is very unlikely. Even 3 stars if they would be a bit more honest about the low likelihood. Just fyi... I’ve paid more for a private tour and didn’t see the aurora and was totally ok with that, because the tour guide was super honest about it and I could see how he genuinely tried to increase the odds as much as possible. While my sister was still here (flew home a little bit earlier) we god so frustrated with the mass tourist offers that we rented a car and did it ourself using the Polarlight App and drove to the borders of the Reykjavik suburbs (Don’t drive out into the wilderness by yourself!!! Stay close to civilization, you don’t want to be the missing idiot tourists reported in the newspaper.). Guess what... at 23:50 we spotted the aurora with bear eyes. No camera needed. At a fraction of the cost and we had way more fun by ourself. Yes you'll need luck, but you can give your luck an extra boost, but I don't think you get that extra boost on this boat tour. Feel free to use this tour as it is indeed very convenient, but if you really really really want to see the Aurora, use different approaches.

Do not use, they still go out when cloudy and then you have experienced the boat ride and then youcannot have refund only other tries, super jeeps are better to see Northern lights as we saw on second try. These cancelled our second trip so have paid for nowt!

Excellent service watched the sky dance on board, as soon as we arrived we were told to go on top deck that the lights had started, we watched a full display until we arrived back to dock!! Highly recommend

Chasing the Northern Lights from the sea is an amazing experience. This is a wonderful, well organized boat tour. The staff are absolutely lovely, kind, friendly and professional. The boat is well-maintained and comfortable, which helped as the sea was quite rough. If we'd seen the elusive Northern Lights, it would have been perfect. I would highly recommend this tour and company to anyone.

We booked this tour as we really wanted to see the northern lights whilst we were in Iceland. The main reason we went! We booked it for the first night and it got cancelled because of the weather, rebooked for the following night… got cancelled… rebooked it again for a third time… got cancelled. Did the back up tour which was going to a warehouse where they had plastic and rubber shaped whales dangling from the ceiling, and to rub salt into the wound was followed by a short video of the northern lights. Look what you could have won! We requested some type of refund because £50 a head was wasted and to have not seen the northern lights like we had planned was diabolical. Turns out they can get round the legalities of giving you a refund because they offer you to go see some rubber whales in a warehouse. Absolute joke and SHOCKING customer service. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. £100 down the drain for us!

The reception workers were amazing, so happy to help and super friendly. We booked to travel on the boat to see the northern lights on Thursday 30th of November, sadly we didn’t get to see them, but they let us book on the very next day free of charge. We were successful on this trip and got to see the lights as well as learn such amazing facts. This company we’re very organised and couldn’t be more helpful.

What a brilliant trip! The crew, especially the guide, were so knowledgeable and helpful. We kept warm inside until we reached the darkest area, then came out on deck to an unbelievable show. The captain constantly moved the boat around to give us the best views and the guide pointed out specific areas. We were even lucky enough to see some shooting stars! Would highly recommend this amazing trip!

It is not recommended to watch the aurora by boat. First of all, the boat was very bad. It was shaking violently for 2 hours. At the beginning of the trip, the announcement said we could go to the deck to see the aurora, but we went out in the cold and saw nothing! There were so many people on the boat that some locals suggested driving after the aurora even though they had not seen it several times. And want to complain the front desk ticket girl, her service attitude is very poor, do not know whether there is regional discrimination. We were told to be there at 10 p.m., we were there on time, and she said the boat had gone. Nor did I give you a phone call or email to inform you in advance. The management of this company was very chaotic. I do not recommend you to participate in this trip, which will make you very disappointed. I do not know why there are so many favorable comments, is it paid for?

We were thankful for the warm overalls and the friendly guide. But mostly we were thankful that we got to see the Northern Lights on our first night in Reykjavik. Would definitely recommend the trip.

What can I say other than wow we were so lucky!! We booked on our first night in Iceland (Thursday) and we unfortunately didn’t see much at all however the tour guide was brilliant and told us all about the science of the lights, how the are created, the sister lights (southern lights that aren’t as popular) and how they predict the lights dependent on the suns activity. Whilst we didn’t get to see much it was really informative. Thankfully we had booked the back up plan so were able to try again and wow!! When you start to see the lights in the harbour before you leave (despite the city lights) and the tour guide says he won’t be speaking much as it’s spectacular tonight so just take it in you know you’re in for a treat!!! We got the best of both here I think as had an informative first attempt and a spectacular second visit. The colours, the lights dancing, the fact the whole sky was alight with this beautiful phenomenon the stars were also out in force and you can spot many constellations in the photos. If I’m able to upload it there is a video about 1 minute long and trust me it’s worth watching the movements in the aurora. I can’t describe how surreal and magical this was to witness It was however extremely cold. We had layers and layers on and were still struggling. The boat does have thermal boiler suits for you to borrow and my advice is borrow them. They make a HUGE difference and when wearing it I hardly felt the cold which made the trip more enjoyable. We booked the trip with Viator and can't fault them or the actual trip handlers at all. The experience was perfect and I hope everyone is as lucky as we were.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting reykjavik. We were lucky enough to see the northern lights thanks to the determination of the crew. After 2 hours with no sightings we had all but given up hope but the crew were keeping an eye on various apps to check for sightings of the lights to ensure they got us to the right place. They then pointed out where they thought the lights may be starting and we were lucky that they continued from there. We were also given info on what the lights are/what causes them which was interesting. Take advantage of the warm suits as it gets very cold up on the top deck - well worth it though. You do also have the option to sit inside in the warm which was good for the time spent travelling.

The weather prevented us from being able to go out and see the Northern Lights, so we were so thankful for the back up plan. Our host at the museum was very entertaining and did a wonderful job educating our group about both toothed and baleen whales. The Northern Lights documentary covered some of the various myths associated with the lights over time and in various regions. I found it very interesting. The drinks were tasty and overall the atmosphere was relaxed, but positive. We were asked if we wanted to reschedule our boat tour, and I had intentionally booked this for our first night in Iceland. I wished to rebook the tour on our second night, but because that tour was already full, they were not able to accommodate. Overall, no one can control the weather, and I greatly appreciate that there was a backup plan. It wasn't as great as seeing the Northern Lights in person, but was still a great way to spend the evening.

Obviously dissapointed the boat trip got cancelled due to tge weather but the whale museum was very interesting and the tour guides were great fun . Nice touch that they picked us up from our hotel and took us home and the cocktails were lovely as well . Neil an jayne from London.

We originally booked this trip but due to bad weather the boat was cancelled, understandable. We received an email on the day advising the trip had been cancelled and were offered the chance to do the bus tour instead as there was a good chance of seeing the lights. We were also told we could rebook, however they were fully booked for the next 3 nights! So we decided to go on the tour as we really wanted to see the northern lights. What a mistake. They asked us to get there 45 mins early and then we had to sit and wait until 2100 on a hot coach for the late comers anyway. The coach journey was about 30 mins, the bus driver and the crew member Patrick, were both lovely and the best thing about the trip. When we arrived at the flood lit church ( not great for the northern lights) we were all told to get off the bus and stand in a field for an hour looking up at a cloudy sky. Then after about an hour we got back on the bus to go back to the city. There were 3-4 packed to the rafters coaches in the same field, the experience made me feel like a battery hen rather than a once in lifetime excursion. The bus was sooooo hot and uncomfortable and it was all round an awful experience! The customer service since has been awful too! Would not recommend the coach tour at all it was horrible and I feel like they knew there was no chance of seeing them but they had to put it on because they had so many customers, and customers from previous nights! I appreciate the northern lights are not guaranteed but good service and "going the extra mile" should be, but unfortunately for this company they did not live up to our expectations.

Hats off to Special Tours for going the extra mile, literally, with their Backup Plan. This organization definitely tries so hard to give its patrons the very best possibility of seeing the Northern Lights, considering that they cannot control Mother Nature. They give ample advance warning by email and on their website as to whether or not an evening's outing is a GO or NO GO event. After our boat cruise came up empty despite perfect conditions on paper, we were booked on the next night's cruise. Unfortunately that outing was cancelled due to excessive cloud cover. The next night's boat cruise was cancelled due to rough water conditions, so we were taken by bus to the city outskirts, where we did in fact have clear skies and did see Northern Lights. And on all of the tours, their guides were all so friendly and informative. All of this for the single initial cost of admission.

Very enjoyable trip slightly crowded but to be expected on popular tours. Beautiful view of the aurora despite all odds!

Great experience for a family of 4 with a newborn and an older child. Crew was accommodating and entertaining with lots of guidance and aurora facts. They will help with your photography too. Well run operation. One of many highlights of our Reykjavik stay.

We weren’t lucky enough to see the lights on this occasion, but the crew made every effort to keep us entertained! Would highly recommend!

Northern Lights Espectacular,Amazing life changing This experience is Unique, because you need luck to see the them Our first try couldn’t see any Really cold night ended up in frustration,our guide Jonathan Put a brave face through it all (But more on him later on) Next night came back with high Hopes almost hour and a half into it Still no sign of any lights an all the sudden they show up And what a show my friends Breathtaking Aurora Borealis its an experience like no other the different shapes size and colors simply unbelievable Jonathan/Jonathan/Jonathan Can said it enough Great guide great guy

A great viewing of Northern Lights is never guaranteed, but the Special Tours cruise does their very best to show you a good time even if the lights do not. We saw lights--not spectacular but ok--and enjoyed a beautiful clear starlit night nice and warm in the cold weather gear provided on the boat. The below deck was warm and cozy and drinks were available.

The tour my group was originally scheduled to go on was canceled because of bad weather, so we rescheduled to go the following night. That night, the Northern Lights were not particularly strong. The guide on the boat told us we could reschedule for another night at no cost. We went again the next night and the Northern Lights were amazing. The guides on the boat were knowledgeable and entertaining. All of the people (boat crew, staff inside the office) were very kind and helpful and it was easy to reschedule. I highly recommend using Special Tours to see the Northern Lights.

After waiting for several days to see the Northern Lights, finally they arrived on our last night in Iceland. Our tour guide, Iga, was fabulous. She explained the phenomenon and gave us specific direction throughout the tour so we could locate the lights. She gave photo tips as well. I highly recommend this tour and this guide.

I did the Northern Lights by boat tour and really enjoyed it! The guide to the lights on the boat was great. I feel badly I don't remember her name! As I have an older phone, I wasn't able to get the greatest photos and she told everyone on board about an app to download. When I asked her for some help, she was so enthusiastic and super helpful and I got some very nice photos!